Gray Davis

Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (26 December 1942-) was Governor of California (D) from 4 January 1999 to 17 November 2003, succeeding Pete Wilson and preceding Arnold Schwarzenegger; he formerly served as Lieutenant Governor of California from 2 January 1995 to 4 January 1999, succeeding Leo T. McCarthy and preceding Cruz Bustamante.

Biography
Joseph Graham Davis was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York in 1942, and his family moved to California in 1954. He graduated from Stanford University and Columbia University, and he served in the US Army from 1967 to 1969 during the Vietnam War, rising to the rank of Captain and being awarded with the Bronze Star. In 1970, he volunteered for Democratic Party politician John V. Tunney's US Senate campaign, and he served as Chief of Staff to Governor Jerry Brown from 1975 to 1981. From 1982 to 1986, he served in the State Assembly, and he served as Controller of California from 1987 to 1995. In 1995, he was elected Lieutenant Governor under Governor Pete Wilson, a Republican, and he won the 1998 gubernatorial election.

As Governor of California, Davis made education his top priority, spending $8 billion more than was required by Proposition 98. Standardized test scores increased for five straight years, he signed the first law limiting auto emissions, supported laws banning assault weapons, and improved relations with Mexico. However, he was blamed for the electricity crisis, the budget crisis following the burst of the dot-com bubble, the car tax, his record-breaking fundraising efforts, and his negative campaigning. In 2003, he was recalled in the second of three recall elections, the first to be recalled since North Dakota governor Lynn Frazier in 1921. He was succeeded as governor by Arnold Schwarzenegger.